(Press-Register/Mike Kittrell)Mobile Housing Board Executive Director Stevens Gregory in 2007. The Housing Board is finalizing its 2009 evaluation of Gregory, under fire for project delays and a rumored romantic relationship with a subordinate.

MOBILE, Ala. -- The Mobile Housing Board is finishing its annual evaluation of Executive Director Stevens Gregory, who has been criticized for the failed hiring of a deputy executive director, blamed for construction project delays, and rumored to be involved in a romantic relationship with a subordinate.

Gregory said that he is proud of his performance and that he will continue to do the best job possible as executive director.

Referring to the rumors, he said: "I don't know what the allegations are, who's making them or where they are coming from."

Gregory has served as executive director since 1996. According to the Mobile County Personnel Board, he receives an annual salary of $182,773.56.

The other four board members either declined comment or did not return calls from the Press-Register.

The board, through its attorney, provided Gregory's 2008 evaluation, which lauded his "exceptional job performance," the highest ranking possible. It also included a short narrative outlining his achievements in a variety of areas.

Here is the narrative from the last year's job evaluation of Mobile Housing Board Executive Director Stevens Gregory. The review was signed by Housing Board Chairman Clarence Ball on July 7, 2008:

"Mr. Gregory continues to move the Mobile Housing board forward with its mission and goals. That last year has been marked with the start of construction for the Hope VI single family home ownership and Senior Citizen Apartment Development in downtown Mobile; the Health Care Demonstration Development for Assisted Living ... has passed licensure inspection and is scheduled to open in the very near future; the Hampton Place single family homeownership project is under way in west Mobile off Zeigler Boulevard; the Orange Grove modernization litigation has ended thus allowing the project to move forward and the Mobile Housing Board has successfully taken over monitoring of the Prichard Section 8 Program. There has been many other accomplishments by Mr. Gregory but the realization of these major projects reflect the hard work, dedication and skill by which he continues to manage the Mobile Housing Authority."

As director, Gregory oversees a Housing Authority that provides affordable living places for hundreds of families and seniors with moderate to low incomes.

Ball said that Gregory's evaluation and narrative for 2009 would be released when it is finished but could not say when that would happen.

Rumors have circulated for months about Gregory being romantically involved with one of his subordinates.

Gregory did not acknowledge such a relationship. He also said that his social life is "not something that I discuss with anybody."

Privately, Housing Board officials have expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of construction projects. Getting those projects on track was the rationale behind seeking a deputy executive director earlier this year.

Ball said he believes that the agency missed a chance to hire someone that it needed.

The board wanted to bring aboard Ralph Ruggs, former executive director of the Birmingham Housing Authority. Ruggs interviewed for the job but more than a month lapsed before he received an offer. In the meantime, he decided to take the top job at the Tuscaloosa Housing Authority.

Ball criticized Gregory for the delay in making an offer to Ruggs.

Gregory responded that "it's been the practice that the hiring has not been handled by the executive director's office; it's been handled as a (human resources) function."

Sources close to the board, who declined to be identified for this story, said that Gregory's relationship with a subordinate has slowed progress on projects and that Gregory has shouldered some of the subordinate's responsibilities along with his own.

Gregory laughed when told of the criticism by a reporter.

"The fact is that all the department heads have taken on additional responsibilities and doing much more than what they were hired for, up and down the line," he said.

Gregory said that hurricanes, contractor defaults and unanticipated environmental issues have caused slowdowns: "I think those are things that have stalled our projects."

He suggested that backbiting often arises when he is "forced to take disciplinary action" or "every time some corrective action is taken" against an employee.

Gregory said there "has been an increase in programs as well as a reduction in funding" at the agency, which is "consistently doing more with less." He added that there "has also been a reduction in the funding for staff."

Gregory said he has not been asked to step down as executive director: "I'm the executive director and will continue to function and perform my duties to the best of my ability."